Ritual Purity and Impurity

טָמֵא – tameh – ritually impure or defiled, through contact with prohibited things, or forbidden behavior. The adjective is derived from the word tumah – טָמְאָה – meaning impurity, used in referring to ritual defilement.

טָהוֹר – tahor – someone or thing that is ritually pure, usually through immersion in a mikvah. Tahara, or the state of ritual purity, is often a precursor to an object or person to be part of a ritual or religious ceremony.